Bottle cork extractor



June 21, 1966 M. DEL PICCOLO BOTTLE CORK EXTRACTOR Filed March 17, 1964 INVENTOR. Mar/'0 De/ P/cco/o United States Patent 3,256,756 BOTTLE CORK EXTRACTOR Mario Del Piccolo, 2044 Cropsey Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. Filed Mar. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 352,546 2 Claims. (Cl. 81-3.48)

This invention relates to a bottle cork extractor and has for an object to provide an improved bottle cork extractor which can extract corks from bottles without damage to the cork so that it may be readily reused in the same bottle.

A further object of this invention is to provide a bottle cork extractor which may be used to extract a cork partly from the bottle and then be removed from the bottle, leaving the cork protruding from the bottle in a position to be pulled out manually, or pushed back in manually, in completely undamaged condition.

A further object of this invention is to provide a bottle cork extractor having a pair of blades which are adjustable relative to each other and which may be used for extracting bottle corks of somewhat varying diameters.

A further object of this invention is to provide a bottle cork extractor having a pair of oppositely disposed blades which may be inserted in a bottle neck on opposite sides of the cork and which extract the cork by being moved in a spiral direction, with the rotational movement being approximately twice the pulling movement, whereby the cork is safely extracted from the bottle in completely undamaged condition, and hence may be used to reseal the bottle.

With the above and related objects in view, this inven-- tion consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational View of the bottle cork extractor of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a partly sectional view showing the blade securing and biasing means.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, looking at the left side of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through a bottle cork and neck, showing the extracting process.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

There is shown at the bottle cork extractor 'of this invention. The extractor 10 consists of a transversely extending rigid handle 12, made preferably of cast aluminum for lightness and rigidity, smoothly curved on its topside at 14 and recessed at its bottom side at 16 for fitting within a persons fingers, and then extending into a base 18.

Extending longitudinally from the bottomside of the base 18 somewhat at right angles to the transverse direction of the handle 12 are a pair of substantially rigid, fiat, thin wide blades 20 and 22, preferably of stainless steel, and of unequal length, blade 20 being about three and one half inches long, and blade 22 being about two and three quarters inches long, and both blades being about three eighths of an inch wide. The blades are somewhat straight, but slightly curved away from each other at their unsecured rounded ends 24 and 26.

The blade 22 is rigidly secured to the bottom of the base 18 in any convenient manner, as by being inserted in a complementary slot 28 and secured therein by a I 3,256,756 Patented June 21, 1966 transversely extending screw or rivet 30, which may extend further into the base into a trackway 32 extending transversely across the bottom of the base 18. The other blade is movably mounted in the base trackway 32 and biased away from the fixed blade 20, in a convenient manner. The blade '22 may be provided with ears 34, extending forwardly therefrom and thus making a U with the blade 22, the ears 34 being slidable in the trackway 32 so as to maintain the blade 22 in nonpivoting but slidable position in the trackway 32, and a coil spring 36 biased against the blade 22 between its ears 34 bears against the opposite side of the base 18, extending about a boss 38, which may be the end of the rivet or screw 30, and if desired, a boss 40 may also be provided on the blade 22 to receive and hold one end of coil spring 36.

In operation, the handle 12 is held and manipulated to'force the slightly curved end 24 of blade 20 into the bottle 42 between cork 44 and the inside of the bottle neck 46, sliding smoothly therebetween due to its being wide, flat and thin. Then the other slightly curved blade end 26 of the movable blade 22 enters the bottle neck 46 on the other side of the cork 44, the blade 22 practically automatically adjusting to the necessary width,

being assisted, if necessary, by the operators fingers, and the extractor 10 pushed longitudinally into the bottle neck 46 until the base 18 abuts the end of the bottle neck 46.

Then to extract the cork 44, the handle 12 is first rotated and then removed in a spiral direction as shown by the spiral 48, it being noted that rotary movement is about twice that of the longitudinal movement. As the extractor is first rotated, it loosens the cork from the bottle in its first degrees of rotation, and then as the spiral rotation is commenced, the cork starts to move out with the extractor as long as this spiral motion is continued, until the cork 44 is .completely extracted in a completely undamaged condition. Should it be desired to leave the cork in partly extracted position, as may be desirable when getting several bottles ready for use without fully opening them, the spiral movement is stopped, and the extractor 10 is then pulled straight out, whereupon it will leave the cork 44 in partly extending position, so that it may be readily pulled out by ones fingers, when desired, as needed, and if one or more bottles are then not needed, the corks may be pushed back into completely sealing position without ever having been completely removed.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A cork extractor for a cork in a bottle, said extractor comprising a rigid handle, a pair of substantially rigid, thin, fiat, wide blades extending from said handle, one blade being rigidly secured to said handle, the other blade being adjustably secured to said handle for movement toward said first blade, means biasing said movable blade away from said rigidly secured blade, said blades extending somewhat parallel to each other at their secured ends and curving slightly away from each. other at their other ends, and a base forming a rigid extension of said handle, said base having a trackway therein extending transversely 3 of its bottomside, said movable blade having ears slidable References Cited by the Examiner in said base trackvvay, said ears forming a with said FOREIGN PATENTS movable blade, sa1d biasing means comprising a coil spring biased at one end against said movable blade 811,665 8/1951 Germanybetween Said eam 5 426,105 10/ 1947 Italy.

2. The extractor of claim 1, said movable blade being 12,471 5/1896 swltzel'landslightly shorter than said other blade, said rigid handle extending transversely of said blades, and curved finger WILLIAM FELDMAN Exammer' receiving recesses on the underside of said handle. JAMES L. JONES, 111., Examiner. 

1. A COCK EXTRACTOR FOR A COKE IN A BOTTLE, SAID EXTRACTOR COMPRISING A RIGID HANDLE, A PAIR OF SUBATANTIALLY RIGID, THIN, FLAT WIDE BLADES EXTENDING FROM SAID HANDLE, ONE BLADE BEING RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID HANDLE, THE OTHER BLADE BEING ADJUSTABLE SECURED TO SAID HANDLE FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD SAID FIRST BLADE, MEANS BIASING SAID MOVABLE BLADE AWAY FROM SAID RIGIDLY SECURED BLADE, SAID BLADES EXTENDING SOMEWHAT PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AT THEIR SECURED ENDS AND CURVING SLIGHTLY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER AT THEIR OTHER ENDS, AND A BASE FORMING A RIGID EXTENSION OF SAID HANDLE, SAID BASE HAVING A TRACKWAY THEREIN EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF ITS BOTTOMSIDE, SAID MOVABLE BLADE HAVING EARS SLIDABLE IN SAID BASE TRACKWAY, SAID EARS FORMING A U WITH SAID 